Place des Fêtes — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

212 Greene Ave btw Cambridge Pl and Grand Ave, Clinton Hill

The Place (des Fêtes): A delightful wine bar with a French name but a predominantly Spanish wine list. But you know what, aren’t we all just heaps of contradictions?

The Time: Monday October 10, 7:15pm. I was walking to the train when I pass by Place des Fêtes, a bar I’d read a great review of in Tammie Teclemariam’s newsletter for New York Mag. Considering the plethora of French-influenced wine bars that have popped up all over Brooklyn, I may as well go to one that actually has an endorsement from someone I trust. (I don’t know Tammie personally, but I enjoy her writing and her recs, and our names rhyme, so there’s that.)

The Vibe: It’s just barely sunken off the street level, giving it a cozy, rustic aura, helped along by its exposed brick and wooden elements. There are two seating areas, separated by the marble bar and an open kitchen. It is also BUSY. The hostess shows me to the one available seat right in the middle of the bar, and the people on either side of the lone stool both seem perturbed to have to shift over slightly. The bar itself is cute and compact, and I enjoy peering into the kitchen once in a while. There’s a requisite chalkboard listing the wines by the glass. Every table is full and everyone seems happy. The two women at the corner of the bar have such lovely laughs, I can feel their joy. However, the guy to my left is telling his date about how someone at his company goes by they/them, which is “totally cool, no one cares, it’s just something to get used to and there’s a lot going on right now.” Uh-huh, because your expense reports and Excel spreadsheets get in the way of you acknowledging your co-worker’s right to exist as the person they are? Sure, Steve. Let’s get back to what’s really important – the wine fridge has DRAWERS, you guys, it’s epic. (Unless this is completely commonplace in the world of wine fridges and I am just a pleb.) This place keeps buzzing all night and it’s such a fun energy for a wine bar; though that seems necessary if your name literally means “party square.” Yeah, I took French 101 freshman year, can you tell?

The Bartender: A guy with lots of tattoos and a vaguely mullet-esque haircut. He holds my eye contact so at first I think he’s an actor, but then I think maybe I went to college with him? Eh, probably not. It’s obvious he’s very good at his job and he recommended some delicious wines, which is probably 80% of this gig.

*Epic crispy mushrooms with a side of black garlic “fudge”*

The Drank: Lucky for me, I love Spanish wines, so it’s not a disappointment when I see the wine list is not French at all. When I ask for a floral white, I am pointed in the direction of the Els Vinyerons Lluerna from Catalonia and it’s delish (full disclaimer: I took a photo of the menu; I didn’t memorize the whole name). They have these adorable glasses that are short and squat; they feel like sherry glasses. And they’re the only wine glass I see so I guess they’re used for all wines which is an interesting choice. I also order the crispy maitake mushrooms and they RULE. These mushrooms are the drunken snack I wish I always had available when I get home after a night out, rather than settling for a handful of Goldfish (ok, several handfuls) eaten over the kitchen sink.

Was I Hit On?: When I order my second glass (one of the sparklings that was so smooth, it tasted like butter) and the little gem salad (a perfect salad, IMO), I ask the bartender’s name. Turns out, IT IS that guy from college! I haven’t seen Kris in years and didn’t even realize he was on the East Coast these days. It’s really nice to be able to catch up. Kris gives me some amaro as I depart, poured from a magnum into a tiny sipping glass. He also apologizes for not being able to chat more since it’s busy, and I tell him I understand, it’s a federal holiday. The look on his face makes me ask if it’s like this all the time. He just laughs so I take that as a yes.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: YEAH GIRL. The one drawback about Place des Fêtes is unfortunately a common one these days: it’s expensive (a glass of wine is anywhere between $14 and $23, the salad was $17, etc). But honestly, everything is so good and the vibe is so right that it’s worth it, if you can swing it. Take Kris at his word and either make a res in advance or show up alone at an off-hour, so you too can join the party.